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The Walmart Foundation’s Nevada State Giving Program has awarded $455,000 to eight nonprofits throughout the state dedicated to serving residents through its core areas of giving: hunger relief and healthy eating, sustainability, career opportunity and women’s economic empowerment.

The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better, awarding grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the U.S. Twice a year, the Nevada State Giving Program looks for organizations that address the needs of the communities they serve and make a significant social impact.

“We are proud to partner with these eight nonprofits and are continually inspired by the work they do in the communities they serve,” said Todd Siron, Walmart regional general manager. “Walmart is thrilled to provide support to each organization as they continue to make a difference and improve the lives of Nevada residents across the state.”

The following nonprofits received a 2015 State Giving grant to fund local programs that have proven to help those in Nevada live better. Nonprofit recipients in Nevada include:

Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows received a $50,000 grant to help fund food programs at two Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows sites – the Donald W. Reynolds Facility and Project Solution.
The grant will help provide nearly 25,000 meals to underserved children.

“We are extremely grateful to receive this grant from the Walmart Foundation, which will help us provide highly nutritious meals to deserving kids,” said Mike Wurm, executive director of Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows. “This grant will make a tremendous impact in our community by helping us serve more than 100,000 meals at both of these Boys & Girls Club sites over the coming year.”

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada received a $95,000 grant to fund its Hands of Hope Community Food Pantry. The pantry is designed to provide families in need with healthy and nutritious supplemental food items.

“We are honored to receive Walmart’s support to help serve our clients and their most basic needs,” said Deacon Tom Roberts, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada. “Many of our clients are families who are facing food insecurity. Our Hands of Hope Food Pantry creates an environment where each family has the freedom to choose the groceries they need and be treated with dignity and respect. Walmart’s support helps us ensure more families in our community have enough to eat.”

Community Chest Inc. received a $70,000 grant to provide nutritious, healthy meals and employment case management services to residents in rural Nevada.

“We are thrilled that Walmart continues to remain such a strong part of our efforts to reduce food insecurity in rural Nevada,” said Erik Schoen, deputy director of Community Chest. “Their support has literally meant that far fewer children and families have had to go to bed hungry.”

Food Bank of Northern Nevada received a $50,000 grant to secure 150,000 meals for its Mobile Pantry program. The Mobile Pantry delivers millions of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to more than 40 low-income neighborhoods whose residents lack access to quality produce.

“The Food Bank is so grateful to have this partnership with the Walmart Foundation,” said Cherie Jamason, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. “This grant will help us deliver a significant amount of fresh produce to families right here in our community. We are thrilled!”

Friends in Service Helping (FISH) received a $25,000 grant to fund their Family Dining Room, which provides meals to underserved citizens in Gardnerville. The Family Dining Room is one component of a larger family resource center that offers services and coaching to help families become more self-sufficient.

“Our mission is to build long-term support for families that are willing to make changes in their lives that will bring about better health and prosperity,” said Jim Peckham, executive director of FISH. “The Family Dining Room gives these families the foundation they need to work towards financial stability. We are offering them a hand up out of poverty.”

Goodwill Industries of Southern Nevada Inc. received an $80,000 grant to provide job training and employment services for veterans and their immediate family members. The grant will help support veteran employment specialists who offer peer-to-peer job assistance and training.

“Veterans and their family members face unique challenges when it comes to reentering the workforce,” said Steve Chartrand, president & CEO of Goodwill of Southern Nevada. “Our Veteran Integration Program allows us to serve those who have served our country and help veterans and their families achieve the independence and security steady employment brings. We are grateful to the Walmart Foundation for recognizing the enormous need in Nevada.”

Opportunity Village received a $50,000 grant to expand its unique food-service curriculum that teaches individualized skills to those with intellectual disabilities. Opportunity Village clients learn about nutrition, money management, healthy eating, and basic food preparation in order to gain valuable skills needed for employment.

“We at Opportunity Village are honored to be chosen for a grant from the Walmart Foundation to help Southern Nevadans with intellectual disabilities learn the skills that they need to get a job,” said Linda Smith, associate executive director of Opportunity Village. “Having food service skills will help open doors to employment opportunities in Las Vegas’ tourism-based economy, and also help them in their everyday lives.”

Ron Wood Family Resource Center received a $35,000 grant to purchase a cargo van to pick up and deliver food to underserved families in the Carson City area.

“Ron Wood Family Resource Center is thankful to have the Walmart Foundation as such a caring partner. Walmart continually gives food and support to our center year-round,” said Joyce Buckingham, executive director of Ron Wood Family Resource Center. “In addition to Walmart’s gracious donation, Capitol Ford – Campagni Auto Group provided us a discount in order to purchase the perfect van to help us in the expansion of our food delivery program.”

In 2014, in Nevada, the Walmart Foundation awarded $15.8 million in cash and in-kind contributions. The donations of cash, food, refrigerated trucks, mobile pantries and other resources are changing lives across America. In 2010, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation launched “Fighting Hunger Together” – a $2 billion cash and in-kind commitment through 2015 to fight hunger in America. This initiative leverages Walmart’s size and resources to provide nutritious food and the Walmart Foundation’s ability to grant funding to nonprofits that help elevate the issue.

To be considered for support, perspective grantee organizations must submit applications through the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program’s online grant application. Applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in order to meet the program’s minimum eligibility criteria. For more information, visit http://foundation.walmart.com/apply-for-grants/state-giving.

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About Philanthropy at Walmart By using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation create opportunities for people to live better every day. We have stores in 27 countries, employing more than 2.2 million associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. We are helping people live better by accelerating upward job mobility and economic development for the retail workforce; addressing hunger and making healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality; and building strong communities where we operate and inspiring our associates to give back. Whether it is helping to lead the fight against hunger in the United States with $2 billion in cash and in-kind donations or supporting Women’s Economic Empowerment through a series of grants totaling $10 million to the Women in Factories training program in Bangladesh, China, India and Central America, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are not only working to tackle key social issues, we are also collaborating with others to inspire solutions for long-lasting systemic change. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit http://www.foundation.walmart.com.
About Walmart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, we serve nearly 260 million customers who visit our 11,532 stores under 65 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2015 revenue of $486 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visitinghttp://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com andhttp://www.samsclub.com.
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